Serious Subject, Holy Laughter

Following the success of the Elden Street Players' production of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" the acting company is striking the funny bone of theater-goers again with their new production of "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)". A comical trip through the world of theology, the play attempts to answer some hard-hitting questions with a little improvisation and laughter. Director Holly Harrington took some time to talk about the production.

&lt;b&gt;Explain the premise of the story:&lt;/b&gt; "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)" is a brazen fast-paced frolic from fig leaves to Final Judgment. This production promises to capture, in a single theatrical experience, the magic, the genius that is God, using numerous bad costumes, ghastly wigs, countless props and three overgrown pranksters who like to be called "actors."

&lt;b&gt;Why did you choose to direct this production?&lt;/b&gt; The Elden Street Players heard the outcry of the masses to follow up on the success of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)." By masses, I mean me, and by success, I mean we had a lot of fun. In the process of having that fun, the show had great audience numbers, audience buzz and garnered a number of Washington Area Theater Community Honors (WATCH) nominations.

&lt;b&gt;What were some of the challenges when putting together the production?&lt;/b&gt; The largest challenge in this type of show fall on the shoulders of the folks doing properties and costumes, due to the sheer number of items required. The running crew, during the run of the show, also has their hands full just trying to keep the foxes away from the chickens until the Noah's Ark scene.

&lt;b&gt;What stands out the most about this production?&lt;/b&gt; What stands out in this production is a hard question to answer. The show is a comedy, and I would never want to give anything away. But ... let's say we reenact Sodom and Gomorrah.

&lt;b&gt;What is your favorite character or most challenging role?&lt;/b&gt; My favorite and the most challenging to work with was God. He wasn't always prompt and sometimes seemed to have an attitude.

&lt;b&gt;What is the funniest line/situation in the play?&lt;/b&gt; One of the funniest lines is, "not necessarily."

&lt;b&gt;What has been your favorite production-related moment?&lt;/b&gt; The show is based in improvisation. The three actors, Scott Bailey, Casey Jones and Allen McRae are so talented that you never truly know what they will say or act out. This show has been great fun to direct. There have been so many enjoyable moments but I guess for all of us the topper will always be watching "The Dance of the Jalapeno Fairies."

&lt;b&gt;What do you enjoy most about the cast?&lt;/b&gt; The three actors are very easy to work with and are very talented. They make me laugh out-loud and most importantly, they make the audience laugh out-loud. Everyone needs to do that every now and again. It feels good to just laugh until you snort.